The World will be Fine
by ultimatefandomfangirl
Summary: Attacked by Morgana and her followers on their way back to Camelot from a puzzling quest, Merlin finds himself trapped and injured. With Arthur definitely unconscious again and no way to get out of Morgana's trap, Merlin wishes he could be on the safest place on earth... and suddenly he is.
1. Chapter 1

**The World will be Fine**

He had to keep running, he had to. Even with his king half-conscious and desperately trying to keep running. He could feel Arthur's sluggish body move in an uncoordinated manner against his own body. One of Arthur's arms was passed over his shoulders and Merlin could almost feel his tunic tear up from the king's still firm but clumsy grip. That he was still wearing his gauntlet wasn't helping either.

_Where were the knights anyway?_

They'd left Camelot a four days ago, on a quest that Merlin definitely hadn't wanted Arthur to take part in. But being Arthur, and the young king of Camelot and somehow, he thought that putting himself in terrible danger every time he could was a way of "proving he was his people's strong and rightful king". Like he thought it would somehow discourage his enemies to try and kill him or something. A traveler in the night had come to the castle with reports that the most important outer village near the west borders had been attacked by ghostly creatures into the night. They knew it wasn't the Dorocha because they'd closed the gates months ago and Merlin had made sure to seal it by making a magical pact with the guardian of the Veil… which, admittedly, wasn't sure he could trust but he'd figured he'd know it if she ever came back, seeing as her first appearance a few months ago had cost him all his body heat in a few seconds, along with his consciousness and his sanity. God, he never wanted to see that woman again.

They'd traveled to the village but had found the place empty, literally empty. With all its people, animals, hell, _furniture_ gone. Only the houses remained and they had looked old and abandoned, almost in ruins, like remnants of a time that had come to pass a long time ago. They'd stayed there the night; troubled by what they'd found but nobody had talked about it much. Merlin had had wanted to ask the others what they thought about all this but he'd refrained himself for doing so because the answer was clear: either the messenger was a fraud, either magic was involved. And if magic was involved, it meant nothing good for Merlin.

And so on their way back to Camelot, they were ambushed. At first Merlin thought it was only an ordinary ambush... until one guy showed up in a robe and started shooting fireballs at Arthur's guards. This was followed by Morgana's arrival. Merlin should have seen it coming, really, but he was too busy with the empty village enigma that he hadn't thought it could be so simple as to be one of Morgana's clever little tricks to try and avenge her people by killing Arthur.

Merlin stumbled over the root of a big three and fell, taking Arthur down with him. Arthur sluggishly tried to stop his fall but failed miserably, opening and closing his eyes like the sun was in his eyes. The king put his hand down on his chest, struggling to breathe.

"Arthur!" called Merlin, getting up and shaking him, trying to get him to stay awake. "My lord, we have to go!"

Somewhere in between the trees, he heard voices and the sound of people running.

"Come on Arthur!" Merlin pleaded.

But the king didn't answer. Behind him he heard the running sounds come closer and closer. He had to do something and quickly.

"_Sisgh Aelecto!"_ he hissed.

He felt his eyes burn gold, and with this simple spell, he managed to hoist Arthur on his back easily. The spell would wear off soon enough but for the time being he would be able to carry Arthur as if his king was a small brick. He glanced behind him just in time to see the end of a cape get behind a three, and he started running again, making sure he wasn't going to fall over a root again. But Arthur was wearing his cape and it was slowing him down, getting caught in branches and bushes.

His blood froze in his veins when he felt something warm tickling his legs.

"Ow!"

A sudden sensation of burning sent a bolt of pain to his brain and he fell on his knees, falling on his tummy. Arthur fell onto him and the spell he had put on him wore off almost instantly. He managed to extract himself from under Arthur – who was very unconscious and back to his full weight – and looked around him.

There were more than 10 people closing in around him... although, he wasn't entirely sure some of them qualified as _people_. He spotted the man – or rather, the man-like creature – who'd shot the fire spell at him. There were definitely a few ordinary druids gone wrong, but two had a greenish face and symbols on their faces that Merlin didn't recognize. Among them was, of course, Morgana Pendragon, her green laced dress dirty with dried blood he hoped didn't belong to one of the knights.

"Do you like my new friends Merlin?" She asked with the twisted smile she usually wore on her face whenever she managed to reach Arthur in a 20 feet radius. Merlin thought about how she smiled before she'd turned to Morgause and found himself wondering how the lovely smile she had wore at Uther's court could have become such an ugly, twisted thing.

"Not particularly, no" answered Merlin, feigning indifference.

He looked around him cautiously, looking for a way out of this. Where were the knights? Gwaine, Leon, Percival, all of them were nowhere to be seen and it made Merlin's throat itch with worry.

Morgana's smile morphed into a grimace.

"I see you're still fond of my dear brother" she said, her voice bitter with disdain.

"What do you want Morgana?" Merlin said.

The druids and creatures around them broke into laughter.

"By that time I would expect you know what I want, but I see your wits haven't improved since I left my late father's castle."

The, a man standing at Morgana's right flashed his eyes gold and Merlin found himself flying back until he hit a three. He saw stars for a moment. Arthur must have been hit by the spell too because he landed right next to him.

That's when he saw the flaw; an opening in the circle, to his left, where a young druid was eyeing him strangely. He was young and it seemed to Merlin he was the weakest of them all. He took his chance.

"Maybe yours haven't improved either, Morgana!" he shouted with every ounce of bravery he had inside him.

He made a lump of three fall over 5 of Morgana's allies and profited of the commotion to put Arthur back on his feet. He had begun to stir a bit. It was a miracle that Morgana didn't seem to grasp the concept of _"Merlin has magic!"_ which was surprisingly guessed it was a family thing, judging by the history.

But the commotion he created wasn't enough. Two of Morgana's followers closed in on them. And he barely managed to bypass them. He was out of the circle, but it wasn't enough. He felt Morgana's magic build up behind him.

"YOU WON'T ESCAPE ME THIS TIME MERLIN!" she yelled.

And this time, he felt a deep, deep pain on his left foot, like a knife making his way through the fabric of his boots, his socks, his heel… and then he felt something warm and wet on each of his feet, spreading life slow burning fire on his feet and ankles and he stripped, in so much pain for a moment he thought he was going to pass out. He kept his grip tight on Arthur's arm and shoulder but twisted his body so he could look behind him and…

His eyes darted down to his feet and he stared at them in horror, suddenly too shocked to even feel pain. His boots were in tatters and soaked dark-red with blood. Morgana and her followers were very near, closing in on him and on Arthur, and that time, Merlin was sure only magic could save them, but he was in no shape to fight now that his blood was being drained out of his body from his feet.

He wished he didn't have to do this. He wished it didn't have to end like this.

He wished he could be in the safest place on earth, where Arthur would be okay, where he would be okay. He wished he wouldn't have to fight Morgana.

As he started to think he could maybe simply try to freeze Morgana up so he could gain some more time to call for help, the world went upside down and he saw stars.

xxx

He literally saw stars. Lots of them, going around him and swallowing him and Arthur, swallowing the forest, Morgana and her followers, and maybe, just for a moment, the sun itself. But they came back as they had come, and the forest came crashing down around him and Arthur like rain pouring from the sky. It was surprisingly familiar - well, it was a forest, with the same types of threes, nothing special - but while being familiar it also seemed strangely out of place. Like that time Merlin had gone back to his mother in Ealdor and discovered she'd reorganized the place so she'd have more space to do knitting and sewing.

The world stopped spinning, and they were finally completely alone. Merlin could still hear his blood rushing through his ears from all the stress, but as it slowed down, the pain in his feet came back and he hissed and grunted with pain. Next to him, Arthur stirred again and Merlin's attention turned on the king immediately.

"Arthur, Arthur can you hear me?" he said.

The king's eyes opened and closed several times, mumbling several things that Merlin couldn't quite catch until Arthur cleared his throat.

"Appointment... with Father. Merlinnnn…" he mumbled.

"Arthur, you are king, your father is dead, you are the king now, remember?" Merlin said, confused.

But Arthur kept babbling.

"Merlin… council… Very… important."

"Arthur!"

But then he felt it, an unimaginably strong magic hanging around them everywhere. Merlin tried to search for the source, and considered trying to find what spell could leave such a strong magical flare, but he was becoming dizzy with blood loss and so he did the first thing that came to his mind: he built a magical field around Arthur so that the effects of whatever spell was hanging around them would have no effect on him.

Almost instantly after he finished the spell, Arthur lost consciousness again and fell to the ground like a rag doll.

Merlin reached his king with difficulty and tried to get up, but his feet were too gravely injured and he fell on the ground floor next to Arthur. He was so focused he almost didn't hear the unfamiliar female voice.

"Oh my god!"

He looked up. Three people, two boys and a girl, dressed in longue, black robes sporting a red and gold seal on the left part of their chest. The girl was wide eyed and both boys seemed somewhat confused.

"Are you okay sirs? " asked the red-haired one.

The girl turned to him.

"Are you blind? Do they even _look_ okay? We should go get professor McGonagall! I'm going now!"

The girl made a few retreating steps before the red haired boy spoke again.

"Wait, wait! I'll go, you're the best at healing spell, and maybe you can help them. Just… stay there. And… be careful!"

And he retreated before turning on his heels and breaking into a sprint. The raven haired boy - who was wearing circle round glasses with black frames - approached gently.

"Sir?" he asked carefully. "Who are you?"

"M- Merlin."

"Merlin? Okay… who's your friend? What happened to him?"

"He… he's Arthur, we were coming back from a quest, and we were attacked by bandits and… and Morgana and… have you seen a group of knights?"

It was like words were pouring down his throat without his consent. The raven haired boy eyed him curiously but came closer and closer until he was next to him.

"Harry…" said the girl, Hermione, from what Merlin had understood. She was almost pleading.

"It's fine Hermione" Harry answered with assurance. The boy turned his attention back to Merlin "Where are you coming from? Usually people stop at Hogsmeade. Did you pass Hogsmeade? Did nobody wanted to help you there? You can't possibly have walked very far with wounds like that."

"What… what's Hogsmeade?" Merlin asked.

Harry turned to Hermione, who stared back at him in confusion, if it was even possible to look that much confused.

"You're…" the boy began.

Before he could speak more, the red haired boy came back running behind a tall and rather mature woman wearing an emerald green robe and nothing else than… a pointy hat. Her face was stern and serious but she was walking very fast with an expression of concern.

"Oh, by Peeves, what happened?" she asked. Her voice was sharp. She came close to him, making a gesture toward the boy, Harry, who promptly retreated near Hermione.

"We found them just like this professor", said the girl. "Look at his boots, he must have lost a lot of blood!" there was concern in her voice.

The mention of his boots seemed to bring the pain back and Merlin was suddenly aware that he was losing blood every minute that passed. He felt dizzy and his head fell forward. Professor McGonagall quickly put in back in a sitting position.

"What's your name, young man?" she asked. "I don't remember having you in one of my classrooms but you look rather young. Are you a traveler?"

Merlin looked at her, bemused. A classroom, why would he be in her classroom?

"What's your name? She asked.

"Merlin, he said it was Merlin." Said Harry behind her.

"Ah, nothing less."

She stood up and turned to the three young people.

"Potter, Granger, I trust you know the levitation charms well. Help Mr. Merlin on his feet. Weasley, run up to Madam Pomfrey will you and tell her we have two patients coming up and that she'll need some scarring potion for deep flesh wounds. I'll take care of the… funny dressed knight right here."

The teenagers didn't need to be told twice. Harry and Hermione came either side of him and helped him up. He felt a rush of magic around him and panicked, looking around him.

"It's fine Merlin, it's just a levitation spell so we don't have to carry your full weight up to the infirmary", said Hermione reassuringly.

A spell? did she have a _death wish_?

But then he saw the older woman get a wooden stick out of her robes, and without even a word, Arthur came floating right next to him. Merlin looked, like star struck, because surely, the blood loss was having an effect on his brain. What if Arthur woke up? What if he hadn't been a magic user? They could have been killed.

"What…"

The dizziness intensified and the last thing he heard before being swallowed by darkness was Hermione's gentle voice: "I think we're going to have to make him float up the infirmary too, professor."

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**Author's note:** I know where this is going, I just don't know when I'll be updating. In less than a month, that's for sure. Hopefully next week. Still, please leave comment and like the story if you want me to keep writing (or if you want me to write faster because you want to know what happens!).


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The blankets were too soft and too white. Merlin took the sheets in his hand, testing and studying the texture as if it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. He wasn't quite sure how he had ended up where he was, but somehow he knew he hadn't completely passed out. He remembered vaguely a gigantic castle with a beautiful wooden door, and many, many faces and bodies, all dressed in long robes and eyeing him curiously. He'd heard lots of whispers, too. He also remembered a hall with lots of paintings and lots of floors and staircases, more than there were in Camelot, and he didn't know how it was possible but he was nearly sure he'd seen a flight of stairs move, if that was even possible. Why would somebody be so careless as to risk his life and revealing his magic make stairs move when you could just walk?

But then he'd remembered the old woman with the pointy hat simply making Arthur levitate like he was an object or something. It was a pretty easy spell, Merlin knew it, but he'd never be foolish enough as to make the bloody king of Camelot levitate. What if he'd woken up while still in the air? He had been too dizzy and uncoordinated to ask at the time, and the woman had left the room almost immediately after Arthur and him were safely tucked in beds, and he hadn't seen her since.

"How do you feel, dear?" asked a female voice near him.

He looked up, feeling his privacy was now compromised. It was another woman, about the same age as the one with the pointy hat and the green robe. The new woman was wearing a dark red robe with a white apron over it. Her garments made Merlin think of Gwen when she was working in the laundry room.

"Are you a maid?" he asked, because he didn't know what else to ask and frankly, he was still too dizzy to think through it before speaking.

The woman eyed him suspiciously before smiling gently.

"Oh dear, don't worry, you are still under the effect of the potion I gave you. The effects should wear off soon enough and you'll feel like you never cut your leg in the first place!"

Merlin looked at her, dumbfounded. She had a point, his brain was clearly too foggy to be an effect of the blood loss. Suddenly disinterested in him, the woman went to Arthur's bedside.

"Accio Skull-O-Repair!" she said.

With those simple words, the nearest cupboard flew open and two small vials flew to the woman's hand. She looked at him with mild interest as she opened the vials.

"It's only a remedy for your friend's skull. It seems his wounds were not magical so it will be very easy to heal, but I am always extra careful with the head injuries. This potion should put him back on his feet in no time."

"You're a physician" said Merlin, like he was making a statement or something.

"A physician? No.I'm Madam Pomfrey, Hogwarts' nurse. Minerva tells me you didn't study here. Professor Dumbledore and her will have questions about that, but I told them both I wanted my patients to get rest before they could ask you any questions at all. I am very strict about those rules - Oh, Mr. Weasley, there you are. How is your leg?"

Merlin followed Madam Promfrey's gaze to the infirmary's entrance where he found the three kids he'd first met in the forest.

"My leg is fine, thanks Madam Pomfrey."

"Then what are you doing here?" she asked. Her tone was still gentle but Merlin could sense a spark of authority in her voice.

The girl, Hermione from what Merlin remembered, spoke first.

"We... we thought we'd come and check on the visitors. We spoke to Merlin before he blacked out, we wanted to know if he and his friend were okay."

"They will be, but they both need rest, Miss Granger. Now, don't you three have some studying to do?"

"No" answered the three kids in one voice.

"No exams at all?"

"No, Madam Pomfrey."

The girl looked almost annoyed now.

"Well, you better find something else to do then come and bother..."

"They are not bothering. I feel much better and I could use some company while Arthur is out." interrupted Merlin.

"No. I won't allow it." said Madam Pomfrey seriously, "Only moments ago your medicine was still kicking in, even if your wound is not visible anymore."

"My... wound is not –"

Merlin put his sheets back to take a look at his legs. The nurse was right; his leg was like it had never been wounded. There wasn't even a scar. He looked up at her.

"But... how did you..." he asked.

"Magical healing is my expertise, Mr. Merlin." Said Madam Pomfrey.

Merlin flinched at the mention of magic.

"Magical?"

"Yes, dear, do you really think I would heal you using muggle medicine? At Hogwarts? Minerva told me you hadn't studied here, but you must at least have heard of the school!" she laughed, but it didn't sound genuine to Merlin's ears.

There was so much he didn't understand and Madam Pomfrey seemed like the last person he wanted to ask questions to that he decided to ignore the last comment. Maybe he'd be able to ask the children once the nurse allowed them to spend time with him.

"So I'm okay."

"Technically, yes, but I will keep you on the infirmary until tomorrow. Your friend should wake up tomorrow, too."

"So I can speak to them if I want to." Merlin pointed the children, apprehensive. "Besides, I feel much better."

It was a bit of a lie. He was still feeling dizzy but he was curious about the three young people and he wasn't going to let a nurse stop him. He made his magic flare inside him in hope it would make the dizziness go, but he wasn't very good when it came to healing spells and while his mind seemed to clear up a bit, he knew he hadn't quite succeeded. Madam Pomfrey eyed him suspiciously.

"Fine. 10 minutes, not a second more. If you were a student in this school I wouldn't allow it but as you are not, I'll bend my rules." She turned to the children, "If the other lad wakes up, I'll be in my office. I have a few ingredients that still need bottling."

She took one last look at them and walked away, disappearing behind a wooden door. It was silent for a few moment.

"A school, did she just say we're in was a school?" asked Merlin, turning to his new acquaintances.

The kids eyed him curiously.

"Don't you know where you are?" asked the boy with the glasses.

"Should I know where I am?" he questioned back.

"How else would you find us?" answered the ginger-haired boy, "Hogwarts' not the place you find by mistake."

"Hogwarts?"

Silence reigned for a moment. Then, the girl walked up to him and sat in a chair.

"You really have no idea where you are, do you?"

"That's what I just said!" protested Merlin. He really wasn't sure what was going on and he didn't like not knowing.

"Okay then, we'll just go back to the beginning." said the girl. "I'm Hermione Granger. My friend with the red hair just over there is Ron Weasley and the other…

"Is Harry Potter" said the boy with the spectacles, approaching and sitting down on a chair next to Hermione. Ron approached too but remained standing.

"Harry here is thirteen but Ron and I are fourteen. We are third years students here at Hogwarts. The school year is finally over. What's your name?" continued Hermione.

"Er... Merlin, Merlin Emrys. And this is Arthur Pendragon... you must know him, he's the king." said Merlin in return.

"Really, the king? said Hermione, laughing. "I doubt it."

"How... can you doubt it?" Merlin asked. "There is only one king per kingdom."

"Yes, and the current one is a Queen. Queen Elizabeth II. She's a muggle. You know who she is, don't you?"

Merlin didn't know what a muggle was but he didn't ask. He just looked at Hermione, like struck by lightning.

"No. Arthur's the king. I was at his coronation."

Ron and Harry looked at each other, confused. Merlin got a feeling they thought he was mad. Hermione just looked at him like he was the most interesting thing in the universe.

"The... kingdom that Arthur rules over", said Hermione slowly, "What is it called?"

It was Merlin's turn to look at her curiously.

"...Camelot."

Hermione's eyes went wide, not with fear but with interest.

"We're still in Camelot, right?" Merlin asked, suddenly worried.

"I... need to go to the library" said Hermione, getting up so quickly the chair she was sitting on was almost knocked down.

Harry and Ron looked almost as confused as Merlin.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" said Harry.

"I'll see you later in the common room. Just keep chatting with Merlin until Madam Pomfrey kicks you out."

She ran out of the room, her black robe flying behind her back, clutching her bag with her hands firmly so the multiple books she was carrying wouldn't fall. Merlin stared at the door long after she was gone.

"I don't know what she picked up on you, mate" said Ron "but when Hermione goes to the library, it usually means you're in deep trouble."

Madam Pomfrey came back into the room after a few moments and kicked the boys out, ordering Merlin to get some sleep. As ordinary as his wound was, she wasn't going to let a visitor get complications on her watch. Merlin didn't want to go to sleep, he had hundreds of questions storming in his head now, but he kept quiet and figured he should oblige the demand at least until the nurse was gone again. And then maybe he could sneak out of this room and do some exploring.

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**Author's note:** thank you for following the story! I got a lot more followers than I expected. I am presently in an end pf term rush at uni so the updates will be slow until I finish on April 15. i'll try to update more this weekend but I promise nothing. I'm also working on a novel project so it's al ot of stuff. But Imma finish this story, I know where this is going!


	3. Chapter 3

Note: HI! I am sorry for the long time between the updates. I finish school next week so until then I don't know when I will be able to write but after still things will definitely quicken up! I am really fond of the stories I begin and so you can be sure it will not be abandoned. I also passed a series of tests at the hospital this week so I wasn't really in the mood for writing. So sorry for that. But I hoe you'll all still read the story, it's a good one!

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**The World will be Fine chapter 3**

Merlin waited an hour after the nurse went to bed to get up again. The night was well installed when he finally got out of his bed. He went over to Arthur, who was still sleeping. Merlin found it odd that he was still unconscious as he didn't seem too badly injured when he'd first checked. That was without saying the nurse had told Merlin he would wake up soon enough. He took his time to look Arthur up, seeing if there wasn't anything odd with him. But it turned out the spell he'd randomly cast to make Arthur stop babbling nonsense was still there. He could feel the spell, tingling right over the king's skin. He looked at him fondly and turned to the door. It was time for a little exploring.

It didn't take him long to realise just how big the castle was. The infirmary was right at the top of a big tower which also revealed itself to be a giant clock with an enormous pendulum moving beneath the tower. Through the clock he saw the vague architecture of a simple courtyard and a bridge leading to what seeming to be vast lands. He saw a small house, far away from the courtyard. There must be someone there because he could see the light of a fire glowing from very small windows.

Satisfied with the view, he turned around and looked around him – properly. The stones encased in the walls were old... very old. If he had to guess, he'd say it was older than Camelot. He spotted a flight of stairs he had passed near the infirmary's entrance and decided to go for it.

They were relatively small and led him to yet another corridor. This one was bigger and all made of stones, unlike the infirmary floor which had lots of wooden beams. There weren't any windows but as he came down. Stone pillars came alight with fire and he saw perfectly well. Engraved on the pillars was an emblem with an H on it. Merlin guessed it stood for the name of the school Hermione had told him earlier, but he didn't quite remember the name, Hogard or something.

Things became more and more complicated after that. He took lots of stairs and passed through lots of corridors where he saw many interesting statues, all of seemingly important people he'd never heard of, and he was surprised by the number of them who were portrayed as wearing big and expensive druid robes. He also saw many kinds of armors – one of which he though he heard snoring, and another one who saluted him, making Merlin jump out of his skin before returning to perfect immobility. He went up and down flight of stairs without really knowing where he was. He thought maybe he'd greatly underestimated how big the castle actually was. He finally came to a corridor where some portraits were hung on the walls, something which he hadn't seen yet. Maybe the portraits would tell him more about where he was, like in Camelot, where all the great kings had their portraits hung somewhere in the castle.

What he wasn't expecting, however, was the portraits to literally help him. He looked up at the first picture. There was a man sitting in an armchair, sleeping. Merlin couldn't quite know understand how it worked, but the picture looked... alive. Like he could almost see the man in the armchair _breathes._ He looked up the second one, which was clearly depicting some kind of physician as it represented a woman wearing a long robe similar to the one the nurse had wore al day. The woman was also sleeping. He looked up a third one, and a fourth one, and a fifth one. And realised all the portraits depicted someone sleeping.

"What is the point of painting people sleeping?" murmured Merlin to himself.

"It's night time boy, what do you expect?" someone answered behind him.

Merlin turned around so fast it made his head spin.

He looked around him but there was no one. The corridor was too dark for him to tell if someone was hiding in the shadows.

"Here, boy!" spoke the voice.

Merlin looked around him again, but saw no one. Suddenly scared, he took his palm to his mouth and murmured.

"_Fobearnam!"_

A tiny flame lit up in the palm of his hand. He extended his arm before him to see who was talking to him...

Only to realize the voice came from inside a painting. Right in front of him was a painting of a bald man dressed in a long yellow robe. He was sitting at a desk full of papers, a quill in his hands. A lot of weird instruments were scattered around on the floor and many, many animals of all sorts were sleeping now and there; on the floor, on a canapé, on a chair.

"Are you lost, boy?" asked the man in the painting.

Merlin didn't answer, still processing the information that a painting was talking to him.

"Are you lost? You look a bit confused, is all." repeated the man in the painting.

"How... are you doing that?" Merlin finally asked.

"Doing what?" asked the man.

"You're in a painting! And you can talk to me!"

"Yes, like every other painting here. But it's night time. You know, most people sleep at night."

"I don't get it" said Merlin. And it was true. Even in Gaius's book, he had never read or heard about painting being alive.

"Oh dear god, did you fall on your head? You're not making any sense, oh poor boy. Were you going to Madam Pomfrey?"

"No! Protested Merlin, not wanting the nurse to know he was out of bed. "I'm just... looking for the big hall with the stairs and the paintings."

He didn't know why he'd said that. He vaguely remembered this place but somehow, he'd thought it was better to lie and keep on exploring than to risk the painting to do something that would alert the nurse.

"Ah, there you are! Exclaimed the man inside the painting. He then sat up and pointed his hand to the left. "You only need to follow this corridor until the end then turn right. You'll be there. But don't talk to other paintings; most aren't as calm as me when they get bothered. And if you don't know, you shouldn't be out of bed. Not students allowed out of bed after eleven, that's the rule. You could get in deep, deep trouble!"

"Er... thanks", answered Merlin, offering a timid smile. "But I'm not a student. I'm just... passing by."

"Really? That is quite unusual. You look very familiar. Anyway, you should get on your way!"

"Thank you, Sir... sir what?" said Merlin

"Scamander. Newton Scamander." Answered the man before turning back to his desk and resting his head against it. It put an end to the conversation. Merlin chased his tiny flame out of his hand by shaking it and followed Newton's indications. After a few minutes of hesitation he found what he was searching for.

The hall was bigger than he imagined. There were so many stairs Merlin didn't know if he could count them. He did take the time to count the floors though, and counted nine of them. Paintings were literally covering the wall, and those were big. He got the same feeling that the paintings were, in a way, alive, and wondered if every single picture in the castle could talk and move like Newton Scamander's portrait. The whole place was definitely bursting with magic, and Merlin didn't think he'd come across a place where magic was so strong, so... alive. Merlin suddenly felt overwhelmed by it. He let his own magic flare for a moment. He felt his eyes glow gold and his magic escape his body. Nothing really happened the lights didn't flicker, the floor didn't tremble. He just let his magic dance around him before taking it back inside him, and he felt better. He looked at the Hall again and decided to go down. Night was still dark and he had time to explore some more corridors before finding his way back to the infirmary. Surprisingly, he hadn't come across anybody yet, but since Scamander had told him students weren't allowed out of bed, he guessed the only people he could encounter were other people, like the nurse. He decided to be cautious. He didn't want to come across a harder soul than Madam Pomfrey.

He went down to the ground floor, using his magic to look at every corner to see if there was anybody near him, but there wasn't. He thought he saw a few strange creatures wash the floors on the second floor but he didn't dare peak further. He saw them very clearly with his magic; they were tiny, had big eyes as round as the round vial Gaius used to put herbs in for patients who came in with a fever. He came up in front of two giant wooden doors. One was slightly open and he thought maybe he could look inside and see what it was. He looked around him, always cautious, and slowly peaked inside the room.

It was a big room, almost as big as Camelot's coronation hall. There were four long tables which filled the room, save for a fifth one which was facing the other four, higher held on a step. He saw four hourglasses in the right corner of the room, with lots of shiny stones inside it. One had yellow stones, another one was filled with red ones, and the last two were filled blue and green shiny stones. The red one was slightly more filled than the others.

"Such a nice Hall, isn't it?" said somebody behind him.

Merlin's blood froze in his veins. There weren't any paintings around. It had to be somebody real, somebody alive. He turned slowly, extorting himself from in between the doors. He looked up; a tall, old man was standing not far away from him. He wore half-moon glasses with a golden frame. He wore a long, multi-layed silver robe. His long, white and pointy beard laid down on his chest.

He wasn't sure, because he wasn't used to people who wore such long beard, but there was definitely a lot of curiosity in the man's eyes, and he thought he saw a tiny smile on the man's face.

"Timing is an interesting thing, don't you think? I woke up, thinking I should maybe go and check for a toilet, which I know there are far closer to my office, but somehow I decided to take a walk and now I am here, right before you. Did you sleep well, Merlin?"

Again, Merlin could only look in awe.

"Er... Yes. Sir."

"You must be wide awake now. Pompom was very strict on letting you and your friend have some space but I am a curious man, and so you must understand your arrival is a matter that interests me greatly. Not in a malicious way, of course. Do you like our Hall?"

"It... looks nice" simply said Merlin.

"It does. I imagine you explored parts of the castle already?" asked the man

"Yes." Admitted Merlin.

"Did you discover something worthy of your interest?"

Merlin didn't quite know what to answer.

"Yes... I spoke with... Newton Scamander."

"Ah! You visited the magizoologists'corridor. Lots of great portraits there."

The man eyed him through his tiny glasses.

"Oh, but I forget my manners! I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. Do you want a Fizzing Whizzbee?"

Professor Dumbledore gently took out a handful of what seemed like colourful candys out of his robes and offered it to Merlin, who obliged. He didn't know if he could refuse.

"Let's take a walk, shall we? This is truly a beautiful night." said the headmaster, walking away unhurriedly. Merlin knew he was expected to follow, and so he did.

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Author's note: Again, I hope you liked the chapter. Next chapter will bring on more stuff... maybe Arthur will even wake up! Thanks for reading the story, and I hope you stick with me 'till the end!


	4. Chapter 4

Note: I am so sorry for the delay! fortunately, I am completely finished with school now. I am moving out of my parent's house in a week but even with this I have much more time to write. Chapter 5 should be up by the end of the week. It also seems I am unable to write short stories so I don't know yet how many chapters this one will be. ENJOY :-D

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**The World will be Fine chapter 4**

Merlin followed Dumbledore through a giant open door and on to the courtyard he has seen from above when he was in the tower clock. He took the time to look around. He noticed the detailed gargoyles, and he heard the sound of the small fountain standing in the center of it. At each scorner were four eagles, wings stretched, ready to fly. One had a quill in it, and he thought he saw another one with a wooden stick in his beak. Above them, the moon was shining bright and he saw loads of stars he wasn't familiar with. It was almost like the sky wasn't the same as the one he could see around Camelot. He could still notice a few constellations, like the one of the dragon, which was weirdly off-placed. It made his heart ache. Where could he be that the sky would be so different?

Professor Dumbledore walked in a soft and gentle manner a few steps before him, his long grey robes brushing on his ankles. He had his arms behind his back in a pensive manner, and he looked around him through his tiny golden glasses with half-moon shaped frames. They walked on a wooden bridge, and Merlin saw small mountains on each side, and afar was a wide lake that he hadn't seen yet. It was big and black, and the moon reflected on it like it would on a mirror. Merlin noticed there wasn't much wind, and the air was quite comfortable.

At the end of the bridge was an uneven land of grass and before them stood a small stone circle. He also saw the little house he'd seen from the tower clock. A fire was still roaring inside.

"Hogwarts surrounding lands are most impressive. I sometimes forget how big the castle grounds actually are. There is nothing better than a nice walk under the moonlight to discover it again."

Merlin didn't know what to answer. It felt very, very awkward. He knew he was in the presence of the headmaster of the school he'd just been wandering around at night life a bloody smuggler.

"The... castle grounds look beautiful, yeah." He said simply.

"Oh, I see Hagrid let his fire going." said Dumbledore while he looked at the small house.

Dumbledore laughed softly. It looked to Merlin tried as if the Headmaster was trying to keep the conversation as casual as possible.

"Who's Hagrid?" asked Merlin.

"The guardian of the keys. He lives in this house." answered Dumbledore. He looked at him with a tiny smile and brusquely changed direction, forcing Merlin to follow him again. Merlin's plans to reach the house in case there was trouble crumbled down in his head.

They walked in silence for some time, and Dumbledore looked around him with such ease Merlin didn't dare to say anything. He didn't need casual conversations and mindless countryside appreciation. His mind was bursting with questions, but he still didn't dare to say anything. He wanted to ask questions about what Hermione had told him earlier, and about how people were so comfortable with magic here, and what was the school exactly, where it was, why it existed, how they managed to never get caught by patrols or anything...

It seemed like a hundred years had passed when Professor Dumbledore spoke again.

"I'm sure you have questions, Merlin. The night is beautiful, but I can't make it last forever."

"Er..." Merlin blanked. It took a few seconds to pull himself together. "I... What is this place?"

"Hogwarts is a school." Answered Dumbledore calmly.

Merlin wasn't familiar with the term.

"Why... what... is a school? What do you do in here?"

"We teach magic, Merlin. Hogwarts is a place where young people come to receive an education," Dumbledore eyed him with his gentle smile again. " Transfiguration. Potions. Defense Against the Dark Arts. And many more classes."

Merlin looked at the castle. They weren't very far but they were far enough so he could admire it. There were many towers, and he could see stairs going down from the courtyard to the cliff.

"How... many druids in there?" He said.

"Druids?" Dumbledore laughed. "I'm afraid we don't use that word anymore, Merlin. Druid is merely a title."

"A title?" Merlin repeated, incredulous.

"Yes."

Dumbledore searched in his robes and took another one of the colourful candies.

" But isn't magic banned? Because I'm pretty sure it is."

"Yes... and no."

"That's... not an answer." Merlin said.

"There are things I believe are best if learned by one self, Merlin. I am, after all, the headmaster of one of the most renowned school of sorcery. I can answer some of your questions... but others, I think you'll find them most interesting if you make the discoveries yourself."

"I..."

Merlin found himself unable to speak. It was like he was star struck.

"How come I've never heard of this school before?"

"I'm afraid cannot answer that question either, Merlin."

" Listen, please, sir, " said Merlin. "When I was in Camelot I met a dragon..."

"Really?"

"Yes. And he told me a lot about magic. About how important it was that I had it, what I should do with it... and how big my powers were. So how come he never told me about this place?"

" I am not the right person to answer that question either. I can tell you, however, that Hogwarts has never had visitors quite as unusual as you, Merlin. You are special, that is for sure. Your arrival will surely make this end of year most interesting."

"End of year?"

" The end of the school year, yes." His tone dropped and the Headmaster suddenly seemed far more serious "I am afraid I cannot answer most of your questions Merlin. However, I can tell you this: the world is a wonder, and sometimes you find yourself disoriented, puzzled, or lost. But even in the darkest of time, you may find a light. Following it is wise, but questioning it is wiser. You have a rare talent, Merlin. As the dragon who told you about your powers, I would say; take care of it. You are young. You do not yet grasps all of it. But since we are at a school... You could take the time to explore it. And by that, I do not mean exploring the corridors or this castle and these grounds."

Dumbledore looked at the sky some more while he let Merlin think about what he'd just said. It somehow made Merlin more puzzled and yet more curious than ever. Moreover, he had a feeling it wasn't about Arthur; it was about himself. For the first time in his life, he felt like maybe, just maybe, he had something important coming to him.

"Oh, the sun is rising. I believe it would be wise if Madam Pomfrey could find you in your bed when she wakes up."

With these words, Dumbledore turned, his robes swirling around him, inviting him to follow yet again. They walked back the way they came; they passed the bridge, the courtyard and stopped in front of the main hall. The wooden doors were he'd peaked earlier were now open and food was being placed across the four tables, with jugs and mugs and toast racks floating around. Merlin found himself yet again in awe in front of so much magic being used in such a casual manner. While he was admiring the hall, Dumbledore climbed the stairs.

"Good night, Merlin." Dumbledore said.

Merlin turned around quickly and climbed up a few steps, trying to catch up with the headmaster.

" Professor, wait!" he said helplessly, going up a few steps. "I... I don't know my way back!"

He was honest. This castle was huge, way more than anything he'd ever seen. He didn't think he'd make it back to the infirmary before the nurse woke up.

" Oh, don't worry. You have three shadows who will help you find your way."

Dumbledore smiled.

"Good night."

He turned right at the top of the stairs and disappeared behind the wall. Merlin looked at his shadow, but there was only one shape. He looked back at the empty stairs, confused... until someone spoke behind him.

"I can't believe he let us get away with that."

He turned around. At first he saw nobody but after a few moments, a piece of fabric was thrown to the floor and three students appeared. At the bottom of the stairs stood the Harry, Ron and Hermione, dressed in casual clothes and an expression of awe on their faces. Harry was clutching a piece of rich fabric in his hand.

"Seriously, how come he let us get away with this? We could have been in so much trouble!" repeated Hermione.

"I don't know" answered Ron. "Maybe it's because Harry's his favorite."

Harry elbowed Ron in the ribs.

"Shut up, Ron. You're supposed to be my best friend, not make fun of me."

The boys looked up to Merlin. Hermione climbed the stair up to him.

"We... should probably get to up to the infirmary like professor Dumbledore said. Today's going to be a busy day. Just... get under the cape with us. In case we come across Filch and Mrs Norris on the way up."

xxx

He managed to get a few hours of sleep before the nurse came to wake him up. She made a complete check up of his health, verifying his bruises – which were completely healed – and everything up and down from the tension in his knees up to the old scar he had behind his head. Next to him, Arthur hadn't woken up yet. He jumped out of his bed a soon as the nurse turned her back to take notes and he went to the king's bedside.

"Why is he still asleep? You said yesterday afternoon we would be up in no time!"

The nurse pursed her lips.

"I am unsure yet, young man. I will need to check him up before I can give you any answers."

Madam Pomfrey finished her notes and put her quill and parchment on the nearest table before ordering Merlin so get back from Arthur's bed side so she could proceed to an examination. She took a wooden stick out of her robes – Did everyone carry a stick around here? – and made it swing over the king in a gentle manner. It produced a few blue sparks, which flew around to the nearest quill. To Merlin's amazement, the quill came moving yet again and started scribbling notes on the parchment Madam Pomfrey had just written on.

"I am not quite sure what to tell you, Mr. Merlin. He is in perfect condition now, but it looks like his brain is still trying to fight something. Lots of activity down this big, blonde head, I can tell you that. He'll come around when he's finished I presume."

"Is it dangerous? Can he... get hurt because of it?" asked Merlin. He was suddenly concerned. He hoped with all of his heart he hadn't done something to his king while casting one of the spells he'd tried the day before.

"Oh... no dear. I've had a lot worse than that, believe me. We had several cases of students, teachers and even a ghost who were all petrified last year, and every single one of them survived." Madam Pomfrey's tone shifted "One of those students was Mrs. Granger here, who seems so fond of you she cannot wait after breakfast to come and see you."

Merlin turned to the infirmary's entrance to find Hermione blushing of embarrassment followed by Ron and Harry at either of her sides. They smiled timidly.

"We... just thought maybe we could bring Merlin to have breakfast in the Hall since he's completely healed. We heard... professor McGonagall say he had never been to the school before. It would be sad if he didn't take a look around the castle was awake."

Madam Pomfrey eyed the students suspiciously.

"Oh, Merlin's beard... off you go, all of you!"

She kicked them all out, Merlin included. He stood in the hallway with the three students, a little confused. Had she really said _"Merlin's beard"?_


	5. Chapter 5

**The World will be fin chapter 5**

**Author's note:** I am SO SORRY for being out this long. It wasn't planned. Loads of stuff happened very quickly one after the other and this is the first time I can log on a computer for more than 15 minutes. I was stupid enough to spill tea on my computer, which let me out of a computer for several days until by miracle someone got it to work again. I then moved into my first apartment... which also means no internet for almost a week before the guy could finally come and plug us on a new network. And at last, we lost a cat :-( it died of kidney failure, we had to take trips to the vet. It was an old cat but my boyfriend loved him very dearly.

* * *

Merlin followed his new friends down the great staircase and to the big room with the beautiful wooden doors. Except now that the sun was up, the hall wasn't empty anymore; it was full of young people, all dressed in black robes, running, chatting and laughing with their friends. Merlin could see four colors on the children's robes: Red, which he knew stood for Gryffindor's house because of Harry, but there were also yellow, blue and green.

"This is the Great Hall" announced Hermione. "We eat here every day and it also uses for all kinds of banquets. The ceiling is actually an illusion of the sky, and it even changes when it feels like it! And..."

Merlin listened to the girl's passionate explanations closely, trying to take in as much information as he could. She told him about moving gargoyles and armors, about a weird spirit who was prone to mischief and jokes, and about ghosts, there were lots of them, and Merlin thought he spotted at a table, chatting with students.

They walked through the hall in the center, where he saw Professor McGonagall looking at them sternly while eating breakfast. He met her eyes and she gave her a look that reminded him of Gaius's frown when he was angry at him. She still had a subtle smile on her lips and so he smiled at her in return.

Then he noticed the pairs of eyes. Lots of them, and he realized most people here were looking at him and whispering to their friends. He was still in his servant's clothes and even thought they were clean thanks to the nurse, he still looked out of place.

"Really, do people ever have anything else to do than bloody _staring_ at other people?" complained Ron, who was walking a few steps after him. He had his hands in his pockets in a nonchalant way but his tone spoke of annoyance on many levels. He took a hard look through the room. "There's nothing to see here." He said to the ones near them. "It's morning, breakfast time, go back to your sausages."

And with that, a few heads stopped staring and went back to eating their breakfast. Merlin frowned in surprise.

"How did you do that?" he asked to Ron.

"People used to stare at Harry all the time when we were first years. I guess I got tired of it and took the matter in my own hands. I think I'm getting quite good at it, am I?"

They sat one of the tables next to a few kids who were also wearing black and red robes. He guessed they were also Gryffindor.

"Why would people stare at you?" asked Merlin to Harry.

" Because" said Ron before Harry cold speak " Harry's a celebrity! You must know about him, everybody knows the story! Even the Indians, according to my father!"

Merlin eyed them suspiciously. He didn't know what Indians were, but he didn't think a young boy such as Harry could be that well known across any kingdom. He thought maybe Ron was joking. The kids filled their plates with what was on the table and Merlin did the same. He didn't think he'd had such a big amount of food set before him in his life. He took eggs, bacon, beef, fruits... He ate until his stomach was full. Seeing a jug near him he took it and poured some of its content into a mug. The liquid was bright orange.

"What is this?" he asked.

"What, the juice? It's pumpkin juice. It's really good. Do you have it where you live?" asked Hermione.

" No. We have wine and water and apple juice. That's pretty much it."

" Wine? " asked Ron out of the blue. "It's disgusting. I much prefer butterbeer!"

"Ron!" warned Hermione.

Next to him, Harry was eating in silence, smiling at his two friends.

"They're always like that those two, like an old couple," Harry said.

"That's not true!" protested Ron and Hermione at the same time.

Harry merely smirked and resumed eating his last sausage. It made Merlin remember he wanted to ask about Harry being a celebrity around here. But before he could ask, two red-haired boys came to sit next to Ron and Hermione.

"Good morning there! who's the visitor, Ron?" They said altogether.

"You haven't told us you had a new friend." Said the first one.

"There are people saying he's never been to Hogwarts" added the second one.

"Even others claim that he's not a wizard at all!" they both sang together. "So, what brings you to Hogwarts, new one? You look too old for boarding school. "

They spoke directly to him with giant grins on their faces. They had the same kind of red hair Ron, and the same amount of freckles but they were a bit older and had mischievous looks Merlin did not miss.

"Merlin, Ron said, these are my silly brothers Fred and George, they are fifth years, they just completed their OWL's and they are way too curious for their sake. Bugger off!" he said, turning to them.

"Oh Merlin's beard, have you eaten a grumpy pill this morning, Ron? You know mom doesn't like it when you do that." They turned their attentions to Merlin.

"What's your name, mate? I'm Fred, this is George. We're Ron's older brothers and ..."

George made a joke Merlin didn't understand. He laughed shyly, not knowing what to do. A few people around them laughed at the twin's joke. Merlin looked up and saw Hermione smiling at him.

"Go on, they're our friends. They'll be nice to you... most of the time." She said.

Merlin looked back at George.

"I'm Merlin" he said.

Fred and George's eyes lit up.

"Really?" they both said curiously

"Your mom must really not have loved you very much to give you a name with so much history." Fred said.

"Or maybe she just wanted to push you to be the best! That's an evil mom." said George.

Merlin said nothing. He really didn't get it. His name seemed to be quite popular around here and he didn't know how it was possible. He'd never met anybody who had the same name as him.

"Why is that?"

This question got him several looks, not only from the twins and the trio, but from other people around them who'd been eavesdropping as well.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Why would my mom naming me Merlin be a bad thing?"

"It's... not a bad thing, I guess." Said Hermione slowly.

"It's just that... " tempted Harry, With Merlin Emrys being the greatest known wizard of all time... nobody really dares to call their kids Merlin apparently. Am I right, Ron?"

Merlin's blood froze in his veins at the mention of his druid name.

"Yeah... calling your child Merlin supposes the kid will get annoyed at school if he doesn't live up to some... expectations."

"It happened with lots of names, even in the muggle world. I heard in a certain part of Canada, they don't use the name Aurora because of a little girl of the same name who was brutally murdered by the step mother."

Silence reigned for some time. A few people who were looking at them went back to chatting with their friends.

"My full name if Merlin Emrys." Merlin blurted out.

His confession went a wave of shock around him.

"You can't be." Ron affirmed, mildly confused.

"Yes, I can... I am." answered Merlin firmly.

He turned to the teacher's tables where he'd seen professor Mcgonagall, but when he looked she wasn't there anymore.

"Get up. All of you." demanded Hermione quickly.

"What?" said Merlin and Ron at the same time.

"Why?" asked Harry.

"We're leaving. _Now_."

Hermione exchanged hard looks with Ron and Harry, who both stood up, mildly annoyed. She then looked straight into Merlin's eyes and he felt like he'd just taken an icy shower. He stood up like the other boys and they walked out of the great hall, following Hermione's quick walk.

"See you later!" chanted the twins behind them.

Merlin and the boys followed Hermione up the stairs and into the great staircases until they'd reached the fourth floor.

"Hermione, where are you going? What's going on?" asked Harry.

"I don't know yet. Let's just get somewhere we won't be bothered" she said without stopping her walk.

She led them back to the infirmary but didn't go in. She stopped at the entrance.

"Look, I can't explain it. But there is something weird about you, Merlin. It's not... logical. How can you have the same name as the greatest wizard to ever live and yet know nothing about him? It's almost like..."

Hermione stopped talking. Her eyes went wide as if she'd just realised something. They heard a firm, loud voice coming from inside the infirmary.

"I have an appointment, I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT! LET ME GO!"

Merlin knew this voice too well. _Arthur_. He nearly made Hermione fall as he rushed through the infirmary's door and to Arthur's bedside...Except there were already loads of people around Arthur's bed. Even professor Dumbledore was there, supervising was seemed to be an attempt at restraining Arthur. Professor Mcgonagall, Madam Pomfresh and a dwarf were trying to keep Arthur in his bed. His king had definitely woken up at last, but maybe not for the better.

"Sir Arthur, please stay into bed until your friend comes back..." was saying Madam Pomfresh.

The scene was almost surreal. Arthur had wide eyes, like he was panicked or something, and he looked like he'd seen a ghost... until his eyes met Merlin's.

"Ah, Merlin! I thought you were lost! Please let's leave these ruins, I can't even breathe in there, it's like there are bad spirits everywhere. And these peasants are disgusting. We cannot stay here, so do go and get the horses..."

Merlin looked at Arthur in confusion.

"What are you talking about, there is no appointment! There are no ruins! This is a castle and these people were nice enough to take us in, you useless twat! You got injured, I had to drag you out of Morgana's trap!" He looked straight into Arthur's eyes, defiant. "Alone!"

He was about to say something about the knights when Arthur started running toward him.

"C'mon Merlin, we cannot stay here, the king of Northernbury is waiting for me!"

"There is no _King of Northernbury_!" pleaded Merlin, suddenly feeling angry. What was his king thinking? "We just finished a quest! Don't you remember the empty village? And Morgana's trap?" he shouted.

"Nonsense, Merlin" Arthur said. His pupils were dilated, like whenever he was afraid and tried to contain it. "Let's go!"

The king was still wearing his old clothes from the quest but the nurse had removed his chainmail, armor and sword. It didn't seem to bother Arthur at all, who just walked faster and fast towards the door, pushing Merlin on his way.

"I'm not waiting for you this time Merlin, goodbye!" he said in a weirdly joyful voice. That was enough to make Merlin break. His king had his back on him and these people were sorcerers. He did the first thing that came to his mind. He could sense a strong magic around Arthur and guessed that if he could calm the magic around him he would return to normal.

"That's enough!" Merlin shouted at Arthur, stretching one of his arms before him. He felt his eyes glow gold and with a loud "crack" his spell hit Arthur and the king fell to the floor in a limp.

He put his arm down, satisfied. He could feel the powerful magic around Arthur dissipate like the king wasn't there anymore. It went through him, around him, far from him, and it seemed to stabilize. It was almost like all the pressure around Arthur had disappeared.

He then saw the faces of the three kids. Hermione had wide, horrified eyes and the guys seemed stunned, like they couldn't quite believe what they'd seen. Merlin

"Boy...did you just... confuse the muggle-repelling magic?" said Hermione with a high pitched voice.

Professor Mcgonagall, who'd been standing next to Arthur's bed, took a few steps forward, her gaze was locked on him. It was like she dared not to break eye contact with him.

"How did you do that?" asked Madam Pomfresh.

"Could it be you?" Mcgonagall asked.

Merlin frowned. He felt confused. Weren't they all wizards too? It was professor Dumbledore who broke the long silence that followed Professor Mcgonagall question.

"Oh, he is, Minerva, he is," affirmed Dumbledore. "But he's not the one you think. This one is from the past!" He started walking slowly, a grin on his lips, looking at Merlin through his moon-shaped glasses. "It is you of course, Merlin. The only one who could manage to confuse such a spell in such a simple manner. I should probably congratulate you. I hope, however, you have not damaged the protection, as it would be worrying if the school were to become visible by non-magical beings. I'll see to that later."

With these words, the headmaster of the school left the room. Merlin found himself under the stares of many people. As to be sympathetic with him, Hermione suggested they put the king back on his bed. Madam Pomfresh agreed, saying she didn't know when he would wake up since he was under one of the most impressive spells she'd witnessed.

"He should be fine when he wakes up, I think." Said Merlin, he wasn't at ease suddenly. He almost wished they were back in Camelot so he could avoid the stares. How could Arthur manage it? There were only five people looking at him and he still felt like it was too much. He was so used to work in the dark, to be in the shadow of his king, and of all the other servant and knights, that five people were too much attention for him.

" You three" called Professor Mcgonagall to Harry, Ron and Hermione " You will not speak of this outside any circumstances until professor Dumbledore decides of the best way to manage this situation. We cannot have journalists from the Prophet and ministers coming to Hogwarts and treating our visitor like he's a circus attraction. Is that clear?"

She looked at them severely through her glasses.

"That was a truly amazing demonstration of magic, Mr. Emrys. Make yourself comfortable at the school for the time being. I will send someone to Hogsmeade to fetch you proper clothing. You cannot be seen in this castle in these old garments. Maybe a set of blue robes will do you do have some of the bluest of eyes I've ever seen."

He thought he saw Madam Pomfresh shake her head in agreement. He stood in the middle of the infirmary until Professor Mcgonagall was gone. He felt confused, but somehow, he knew the next few days wouldn't be boring. The turned to his three friends, who looked back at him with grins on their faces.

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**Note: **I will get chapter 6 up as soon as it's finished. I also plan on having a Arthur POV chapter once he wakes up for good. Also, as you probably realized, I do not have a beta. I tried several times over to get a beta for every story I wrote including this one and I got people to help me for some, but they never went through the whole story with me. If you want to help me correct the typos, please do contact me. But I am tired of hunting for betas and I write these stories to help maintain my English level ( I am a french speaker) and so even if I do my best to find errors, I cannot find them all, especially the ones concerning syntax.


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